Got money problems? Don’t take it out on the kids!

Childhelp, the non-profit organization behind the 1-800-4-A-CHILD call center, recently announced an increase in the number of calls for help they’ve received. The reason? A bad economy, according to John Reid, executive director.

“Economic downturns can aggravate the many perils children face,” he said in the announcement. “What I am hearing from our clinicians and counselors at our hotline and our advocacy centers is that there is a definite connection between this financial crisis and child abuse and neglect.”

Intuitively this makes sense. Stress can cause parents to do plenty of crappy things they later regret and money problems cause great stress.

Adel Hana: AP

When you need a timeout from your kids, TV is better than tying them to a tree.

But just because the danger of lashing out at children while stressed exists doesn’t mean parents necessarily will. There are three important things parents can do to help keep themselves from lashing out at their kids:

• Find support: Social isolation can be dangerous for parents. You need to have trusted friends and relatives to talk to when things get tough. You need to have someone willing to take your kids for a few hours when you have the urge to slap them silly.

• Understand your child’s development: You need realistic expectations for your children so you don’t set them up for failure and yourself up for disappointment.

• Manage stress: Most experts recommend you manage stress with good eating habits, exercise and avoidance of drugs and alcohol. Supportive friends and families also help people cope with stress.

All these suggestions are good in the long-run, but my all time favorite way to keep myself from damaging my child when I’m really mad is the Mommy Timeout.

My kid is generally respectful of the Mommy Timeout and lets me be alone. If your kid insists on continuing to pester you I recommend the TV/babysitter. (Zombie training as child abuse is hard to prove in a court of law.)

I do not recommend tying the kid to a tree. That is very bad and counter-productive to preventing child abuse.